Judge: Man who lunged at cop with sword not guilty

The Md. man has been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia, and is expected to be committed to a mental hospital

By Heather Rawlyk
The Capital

EDGEWATER, Md. — An Edgewater man was not trying to kill a county Sheriff's Office deputy when he wielded a gold-handled, 4-foot sword as the deputy attempted to serve a protective order against him two years ago, a county jury decided Wednesday.

Following a two-day trial, Michael Richard Beach, 46, was found guilty of one lesser count: reckless endangerment.